Keep You Safe
by littleyellowbanana
Summary: After Dumbledore's funeral, Harry thought he and Ginny would never be together again. But finding their way back to may not have been the great love story Harry had been expecting and soon, he finds himself left to deal with the aftermath of a decision he can't take back and a betrayal will change his life forever.


For Harry Potter, the trouble all started when he arrived at the Burrow for Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Life had been going well. After almost a year of having a crush on Ginny Weasley, she was finally his girlfriend at the end of sixth year. They had been seeing eachother for a few weeks but, after the death of his beloved headmaster, Harry felt their relationship was no longer safe for Ginny. She had understood why, of course, when he explained this to her at the funeral. That had always been something Harry admired greatly about Ginny. She just got him. And for the last few weeks, he had been really happy with her; they had been happy together. But that was over now and despite the way he had laughed and joked with his friends on the train, he had been dying to take it all back.

Harry spent the first weeks of his summer at Privet Drive. They were alright. In fact, they barely even acknowledged Harry's existence which suited him just fine. Harry couldn't quash the surprise he felt when Dudley asked him in a muttered voice how his year at school had been at dinner his first night back. He had almost dropped his fork in shock, as had Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia who just gaped, forgetting totally about their food as the cousins chatted, albeit awkwardly. From then on, Harry and Dudley exchanged a few words and a "hey" now and then when they bumped into eachother in the house. It might not have been much to an outsider looking in but Harry couldn't believe how... _friendly_ Dudley was being.

As for his aunt and uncle, he never hardly saw Vernon and he didn't really have to help Aunt Petunia much because she prefered him out of the way so Harry was free to spend a lot of his time walking the streets of Surrey, just thinking. About Dumbledore, about the task ahead of him and, more often than he would like to admit, about Ginny. How soft she was, how happy he felt around her, how lovely her laugh was.

He missed her and he was sad that they were over when they'd barely just begun but it was for the best, Harry sighed to himself. That being said, he relief Harry had felt when he and Hagrid touched down in the Burrow and he had seen her for the first time in weeks had surprised him even. She had that blazing look in her eyes, but he could tell she was relieved too.

"Oh Harry! There you are, dear. Those relatives of yours have obviously been feeding you this summer, you're not so skinny!" Mrs. Weasley swooped on Harry, bringing him into a tight bone-crushing hug.

"Eh, thanks Mrs. Weasley. It wasn't too bad," Harry said sheepishly.

Harry followed her inside to wait for the others to come back.

The next morning, the atmosphere in the house was slightly subdued. Everyone was still in shock about Mad-Eye's death, even the twins hadn't cracked as many ear jokes as they would have under usual circumstances. The Burrow was full of people. Hermione had arrived the week before Harry, as had Ron's brother Charlie. Several Order of the Pheonix had also stayed after the mayhem of the night before: Remus and Tonks, and Kingsley aswell. Somehow, Harry and Ginny ended up doing the washing up together after breakfast, giving them their first real chance to speak in weeks.

"So, how are you Ginny?", Harry asked tentatively.

"Oh you know", she replied, giving him the warm smile he had become accustomed to, "Mum's been going mad about the wedding and Fleur is constantly at me about my dress and whatnot. But hey, at least they're getting on now. What about you, Harry?"

"It's been okay", he told, a half-smile on his lips, "Glad to be here now though."

The conversation wasn't forced like Harry feared it would be, it was the opposite, in fact. By the time the two had all the dishes washed and dried, they were laughing and chatting as if nothing had ever changed. They were them again. Harry was being mischievious,and flicked water at Ginny and she let out a shriek, giggling and trying to bat him away.

"What's going on?"

The pair turned at the sound of Ron's voice. He was just looking at them, frowning at their current position. Harry had one arm around Ginny, the other holding her hand up in the air and she was clutching at his shirt to keep her balance. Becoming aware of this, they let go of eachother, the moment gone. Harry just cleared his throat and muttered something about fresh air. But Ron was hot on his tails.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, mate?" Ron was angry.

"What do you mean? I'm not doing anything! We were just having a laugh, no big deal, Ron."

"Look, Harry. You're my mate and all but you dumped her. She's my sister and I don't want you messing her around."

"I'm not m-"

"Just stay away from her, okay?"

"Fine, whatever."

The wind seemed to go out of Ron's sails then and they returned to normal conversation, albeit slightly awkwardly at first. Ron was just being an idiot, it wasn't as if anyone was going to get hurt.

Ron may have warned him off Ginny but that didn't deter them and so for the next week, they just made more of an effort to leave their talks and flirtatious moments to when no one else was around. Not that that was particularly easy with all the wedding preparations. Mrs. Weasley seemed to be trying split Harry, Ron and Hermione up as much as she could but she had no such qualms about putting Harry and Ginny together, which was advantageous to both of them.

The night before Harry's birthday, Harry and Ginny found themselves outside in the large orchard that could be found beside the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley had sent them out to pick fruit for one the desserts she would be making for Bill and Fleur's wedding. So they strolled through the trees, laughing and kissing, their task mostly forgotten. Things between them had intensified since that first conversation in the kitchen, (they had kissed again two days after Harry's arrival at the Burrow) and now, Harry had Ginny pressed up against a pear tree and they were kissing passionately. More passionately than they ever had before. Harry had never been more turned on in his life. Eventually though, the couple heard their names being called back up at the Burrow and begrudgingly headed back up to the house, holding hands for a few precious moments before they would back among everyone else.

Harry Potter's seventeenth birthday a very special occasion in the Burrow. When he came down for breakfast, the room had exploded with cries of "Happy Birthday!". Harry himself had totally forgotten what day it was as he got dressed and ready for the day. But everyone else seemed determined to celebrate it and Harry was treated to a birthday breakfast as well as presents from all his friends that morning. Harry then spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon practising Quidditch in the Weasley's orchard and playing four-a-side matches: Harry, Ron, Fred and Fleur against Bill, George, Ginny and Charlie. Fleur, it turned out, was actually a pretty flier and so the teams were fairly even. Hermione, for her part, was happy to watch from the ground with her book.

Around four o'clock, all the Weasleys (and soon-to-be Weasley, Fleur), Harry and Hermione were called in to change and get ready for dinner. Harry had to wait ages for his shower so he was the last to make it down to the kitchen.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

A massive cheer went up when Harry entered the kitchen. Harry was stumped; he had assumed with all the preparations for the wedding the next day, his birthday celebrations had been over and done with at breakfast. Not that Harry minded; a lifetime with the Dursleys had left Harry was very little regard for his own birthday, or any other celebrations that centred around him, for that matter.

Everyone was there though. All the Weasleys, the Delacours, some Order members Harry knew like Remus Lupin, Tonks and Kingsley as well as Hagrid and Professor McGonagall. Harry grinned around at them as they toward to congratulate him and hug him, or hand him a present. Mrs. Weasley had outdone herself with the food and when she brought a huge delicious cake with seventeen candles and 'Happy Birthday Harry' written on it, Harry felt very very fortunate indeed.

It was only later on, as the night was winding down, that Harry got a chance to talk Ginny properly for the first time all day.

"I still haven't given you your present yet, you know," Ginny siad casually as they sat in the kitchen picking a bits of leftover cake. Mrs. Weasley had announced during dinner that there would no room in the house for any leftover food tomorrow and as such, it would all have to eaten. Not a problem in a house full of growing teenagers, plus it meant that there was nothing suspicious about what they were doing now, sitting in the kitchen on their own.

"Oh, really?" Harry said, "You didn't have to get me a present. What is it?"

"Harry! I can't tell you that!" she said teasingly, "But...I can guarantee that you'll like it." A mischievious smile came over her face as she gave him a pointed look and Harry felt as if the room had gotten very hot all of a sudden. In his head, the plan had been to say something sauve and cheeky back to her but Harry's mouth didn't seem to want to cooperate.

"Meet me at the back door later, when everyone's gone to sleep, okay?" she whispered conspiratorily to him.

He grinned back at her and nodded. She got and left the table, and Harry watched her leave, a smile playing on his lips.

When he was sure Ron was fast asleep, Harry crept out of their bedroom as planned and down the stairs. He had heard the door of the girls' room open and close a while beforehand but he had wanted to wait until he knew his best friend definitely wasn't going to wake up. Ginny was waiting for him in the kitchen and when she saw him, she leaned up and gave him the softest of kisses. Then, she took his hand and together, they creeped out the backdoor and down the garden.

"Where the hell are you taking me, Gin?", Harry asked, laughing when she just shushed him and winked. This could be their little secret.

After a few minutes, they reached the lake. The Weasley's lake was more like a giant pond, but in the moonlight, it was beautiful. The water glistened in the dark and made gentle lapping sounds as it moved in the light of the moon. A warm breeze grazed over Harry's face and he closed his eyes, content to just stand there and take it all in. But Ginny had other ideas.

"Come on", she whispered softly, pulling him over to one side of the lake where Harry could now see a blanket. Harry gulped. They sat down together and Ginny pulled out a small parcel. Inside was a bracelet made out of small round wooden beads and a rectangle bead in the middle that had Harry's name engraved on it. It was a small token but it was lovely, Harry thought.

"Happy Birthday, Harry", Ginny sighed as she leaned in and brushed her lips over his. This time, unlike the kiss in the kitchen, Harry kissed her back, hard. Soon, they were lying next to eachother on the blanket and hands were roaming, pulling at clothes and just _feeling_. Harry could feel the breeze on his back and buttocks but as Ginny's hands gripped at him from underneath him and her hot mouth found his throat and chest, all Harry felt was _heat_...

The next morning, Harry awoke with a smile on his face. He could still smell the sweet scent of Ginny's hair. Today was the wedding day and even though Harry would have to spend the evening as 'Cousin Barney', he would still get to see Ginny in her pretty bridesmaid's dreaa and maybe even dance with her.

Harry went to the bathroom to wash and dress before heading down to breakfast, a silly grin on his face the entire time. Last night had been perfect and Harry couldn't help the swell of happiness he felt in his chest. And hey, it was nice not to be a virgin anymore. Harry was probably the first of his friends to have sex, and Harry felt some sort of silly man-pride about that.

By the time he made it down to the kitchen, Harry had somewhat managed to gain some control over his features, so that no one would ever suspect a thing. He needn't have bothered though, as his face morphed into a picture of confusion the moment his feet hit the last step of the stairs.

Dean was there.

And he had his arm around Ginny at the table. Then, as if in slow motion, he leaned toward her and they kissed briefly. Just a quick peck, but it brought Harry's world crashing down around his ears. Inside, he was screaming but he managed to school his features. He was about to turn around and flee back upstairs, horror flooding his system, when someone called his name. What the hell was he doing here, and more importantly, what the hell was going on?

"Oh Harry, dear. There you are, help yourself to some breakfast. You mustbe starving after sleeping in so late like that."

Numbly, Harry forced himself to smile at Mrs. Weasley and make his way into the kitchen. He didn't look over at Dean and Ginny but he could from the corner of his eye that Ginny was resolutely refusing to meet his eye and Dean kept glancing over at him sheepishly. Harry managed to make himself a cup of tea and chat to Charlie Weasley for a few minutes before he absolutely had to leave the kitchen. As he got up to get rid of his tea, he heard Fleur ask Dean about his and Ginny's unexpected reunion.

"Well, we had been owling eachother over the summer but we hadn't talked about getting back together, and then, out of the blue, I got a letter from Ginny early this morning asking if we could work things out. And of course I said yes." Dean was glowing, as he squeezed Ginny to his side with the arm he had around her shoulders. Harry felt like vomiting.

He practically ran out of the kitchen

A half an hour later, Harry found himself as far away from the house as he could possibly get while staying within the wards: the small woods on the edge of the Weasley property. He was in a small clearing hidden behind a giant boulder. Perfect. No one would ever think to look for him with all the hustle and bustle of the day, especially not out here, so Harry just sat there against the boulder for a very long time letting it all run through his mind. Tears began to stream down his face as quiet unwanted sobs were ripped from his throat. By the time he emerged, it was almost time for the wedding.


End file.
